Leinster bridesmaids again...credit to the Bulls! 

Let me give you a NZ perspective. I don't care who you are you are never the favourites when you're a visiting team to Loftus! The most successful rugby club in the world, the Crusaders will tell you that. Those Saffas were not good at touring down under during super rugby, with the exception of the Stormers for some reason. But the last thing you want is to allow them to host the finals! They grew an arm and a leg, especially at Loftus. Sheesh!

Calling this an upset is actually ridiculous, they clearly know nothing about Loftus

Seriously I don't think enough has been made of that refereeing performance absolutely shocking and what if the Bulls had lost? Everyone would be saying oh here go the South Africans blaming the ref again but that was a utterly diabolical performance on the whistle. Any more and I would have thought it was rigged.

Don't come to Loftus and call the Bulls the underdogs.

A saffer perspective... Irish are generally very gracious in defeat (except of course Ger). Leinster is still an amazing team - love watching their style of play & I'm sure they will win next season - true class.

Ref was complete idiot.. tried his best to help Leinster...

Leinster captain's remarks very classy. In SA we have huge regard for the Irish and Leinster system - you still lead the way in most metrics. Just a note: traditionally over the last 70+ years the Bulls (N. Tvl) have always scrummed pretty well, better than most, as well as lineouts, mauls...the niceties and nitty gritty of rugged forward play, more so even than the full Bok pack at scrum, maul, tight-loose etc. And then as you would have seen, the kicking game at altitude takes on a different form entirely. World Rugby can try change the rules, but in the northern parts of SA we really really like to scrum.

Not the first time I see Irish women showing some really good rugby insight. Impressed

Loftus has been the grave yard for the Chiefs, Crusaders and now Leinster. Over a 100 years of rugby history, the Bulls at Loftus during knock out stages, is a totally different beast. They do not play like they would otherwise, for them it is a matter of living up to the standard of those who came before them. The current team does not have the caps or experience of their opponents, but they have the caps of all the Loftus legends and they know they have to play up to the standards those before them set. Goosen, puts on the same jersey Handre Pollard, Morne Steyn and Naas Botha wore.....it expected that he shouldn't be any less.

Jack White sent some of these players to face Northampton Saints I'm the Champions Cup, and he was blamed for sending a B team. Peterson, Hanekom and Williams were among those. Look at how they played tonight. It's not all about financial resources, and Jake has shown it tonight 😮

I will say this for the Irish....they have class. I look forward to visiting Ireland next seaon and having a cold one with some Irish rugby fans.

This is the third year of the new URC format. This was the first time Leinster has send their best team to South Africa. I bet my house next season Leinster will be sending their best team to South Africa in the league phase. First win your league then worry about Europa or keep paying the price. Wilco Louw literally split the Irish frontrow in two. I have never seen a frontrow split in two like that. Wilco Louw is the thighthead backup for Trevor Nyakane, who is the backup for Thomas Du Toit who is the backup for Vincent Koch who is the backup for Frans Malherbe. Andy is going to have to get his pack shorted before the test series. This was a big mental blow for Ireland. When your first choice frontrow gets destroyed by the Springboks fourth choice frontrow, you know you have a problem.

Can understand disappointment of Leinster fans.They remain one of the best sides in the world and a credit to rugby.🇿🇦

The Bulls won the Super Rugby Competition 3 times and are still referred to as minnows. Cracks me up 😂

Your analysts, clearly have no idea about South African provincial Rugby. Even with our best players at overseas clubs, the young players coming through are just increasing SA rugby depth.

Losing to a Bulls “B” team (given the injuries etc.) is what makes this tough!

I know this is an Irish platform and it has to be Leinster focused But this is such blind analysis, and it won’t point your fans to the right direction and they’ll be more surprises and questions if Ireland get embarrassed against the Boks in July The truth is that the Leinster pack struggled to with the physicality at altitude and it gave them slower ball in attack and had them defending on the back foot. They also couldn’t adapt to the kicking game strategy to have the players running around at altitude which everyone should’ve know they would struggle with being it their first time in those conditions, hence as to why they slowed down towards the end of that game. There needs to be a lot of concern amongst Irish rugby media about this because this pack will have to go up against a Springboks pack with way more talent and physicality plus a better set piece which saw Leinster struggle with in this game against a Bulls team with pups Lastly, they also won’t have the luxary of playing in Europe and with their supporters in the stadium. SA is going to be intense, it’s gonna be dry and the altitude will effect these players plus Boks bring it when they play at home Ask the All Blacks, there’s nothing compared to it

Now, we need a South African team to conquer Europe next season. As a stormers fan, I'm stoked for the Bulls. Now Bulls need to win so SA does the double with Sharks winning too. All we need is Champions Cup meaning weve cleaned up Europe us less than 5 years.

The Bulls are 'minnows', are they? 😅 The last I checked they'd outscored everyone in the league, including Leinster, and finished above Leinster. The last I checked, they're playing at home, in a stadium that is known throughout the southern hemisphere as a fortress, and they're the most successful South African provincial side in the nation's history. They are 'minnows' to no one. This kind of absurd triumphalism from the Irish 'pundits' does neither their club nor their national side any favours. I say this as someone who is half Irish, half South African. The worst thing you could possibly do when lining up against the men in green (or blue) is write them off. The Boks thrive on pressure and being the underdogs. They play a lot worse when they're branded the favourites. Andy Farrell is smart enough to know this. Many people in and around Irish rugby are not. They're going to find out precisely how good the South Africans are next month, when they return to Loftus to face a team with a stronger pack, a better kicking game, and a superior backline. They also won't have a friendly referee to forgive them multiple infringements. If they put on a performance comparable to what Leinster did on Saturday, they're going to get absolutely annihilated.

Leinster: chasing the semis Ireland : chasing the quarterfinals Springboks:chasing 3 wc’s in a row

As a Stormers fan I would love my team to be as consistent as Leinster - lost Champions League by a drop goal and URC semi-final by a converted try.

There hasn't been that much kicking on Loftus since Naas Botha 😂, we surprised Leinster with a different game from the back 3 lead by Willie's performance - that 50:22 was gold. Playing at Loftus is no joke, Bulls were up there in defense and got the job done. 🤜🤛🏆🏆🏆🏆

Bulls winning at Loftus is NOT an upset ... Who ever thinks that is ignorant

i am a bull supporter and happy about the win but full credit to leinster, they are a strong team and played their hearts out, well done to both teams

As soon as Leinster cannot dominate up front they seem to have no plan B. When last have you seen a Leinster scrum being destroyed like that? Whenever Leinster are behind or tight with 10 minutes to go, they cannot take it home. This has happened too many times now

DO'C's pre-match punditry was more like eejitry. I couldn't believe the Avengers v Mighty Ducks comment, nor could I believe that the other panelists sat there and let him get away with it. Do they have no gumption at all? Yes, Jamie's come out with insane stuff in the past, but he could have given Donnacha a gentle warning. Show respect, folks!

The sheer arrogance of some of the analysis.. That Bulls is as solid as any national team pack and to expect them to roll over because Leinster are in town. Breathtaking

this Bulls team set URC scoring records this year, they have a World Cup winning coach, a legacy of having beaten the B&I Lions twice, dominated Super Rugby for several years, a few of which they were the best team.in the world. They arent the minnows they are made out to be 😂

The worst result for the Springboks with Ireland coming over in a few weeks. The Boks May run on against the same Irish players thinking they have already won. Leinster lost this game but it was still a tremendous physical performance from them. Think back. Since Ireland beat AB’s in Chicago their forward packs have had the physicality of Southern Hemisphere teams. The biggest worry, to me, for Leinster and Ireland is they will definitely miss Sexton’s leadership. (Bok fan)

It is tough to fly out to Loftus and play at altitude. Well done Bulls. Stormers supporter

Donnacha just compared the bulls to the Offaly gaelic football team 😮 Seeiously!

They got beat by team that finished higher on the log……..hardly an upset

O'Callaghan is beginning to sound like the other pair of arrogant 'pundits ' beside him, leinster are now easy opposition for a lot of teams now, they have no plan B , a toothless attack and a head coach that seems to be immune to either criticism or getting the sack, our regional teams are on the slide and I fear after next month's tour our national team could follow same route.

They talking as if Irish Rugby is the be all and end all of world rugby. Can someone let them know that South Africa has been at the top of world rugby and thereabouts for the last 118 years.

Funny the media never speak about the REF wonder why??

The attempt to win both URC, and Heineken cup is almost impossible. Bulls picked URC and were criticised for it. URC is not URC of old since SA teams joined the std is way higher. Not enough credit is given to Jake White on the tactical front. One thing that must be addressed is the appalling ref. He missed way to many infringements by both sides. In fairness to Leinster the traveling is tough. The URC should provide a charter plane to facilitate that a team which has to travel in the semi or finals does not get disrupted unfairly.

Do these guys actually follow rugby? The Bulls weren’t the better team on the day, they are the better team period. No surprises at all, kind of expected actually.

Leo Cullen has been progressively getting worse, did shite with Leinster to begin with, had to get Stuart Lancaster to come in and hold his hand, results in some early Silverware, and since then has progressively gotten worse, if Cullen can't manage a team as head coach, step the f down, gotten worse since Lancaster has left predictably!

With more SA teams involved over time there will be less and less Leinster and Munster wins....Sharks, Lions will become stronger and the Bulls and Stormers will always be up there challenging....

Bulls have scored the most points in the URC this season. And the Bulls are a great team, with a rich history, so I was shocked when people became too skeptical of them. Leinster will never have a walk over in the URC again, the SA teams only get stronger. Look at the new signings joining the Sharks...Stomers, my Lions team...So Leinster must know that SAFFA teams are in to win it 😅😅😅

Probably a good thing to understand that the Bulls won 3 SuperRugby titles and are pretty good at home. I mean it will actually help you be better prepared. It's a bad mentality to think it would be a huge upset to lose to the 4 time WC winners SA's best province.

The blueprint is there but the blue bulls print is everywhere

its a tough lesson but seems the irish dont know the Bulls nor their rich history. It was alway true that when they were weak then the boks were weak. We Saffas from other regions know the Bulls are not at the level of their teams of old ... yet, but they are never to be underestimated at Loftus.They are emerging from a lean weak period. I wont be surprised if the final sees them go up a level especially at loftus.

Getting to early 90s Buffalo Bills territory 😬

Great Review!

So, nothing is made of the shambolic and extremely biased performance from the referee?

Bulls were better.simple as that.But at the same time.Ireland and leinster are getting figured out more and more.

Hard luck Leinster. Great job bulls!

South Africa is the cauldron and Loftus is the ultimate ground to win. If you can make it there, you deserve the title.

Leinster same behiavour as the Irish national team. A lot of potential and a lot of upset during the money time... The structuration of Irish rugby is good but something is definitevely missing.

People forget that Leinster is not the only team playing rugby. Other teams are learning and catching up. Well done Bulls.

AT this point I think SA teams play Nkalagata after matches they win just to annoy everyone else.

Bulls is a fucking big club …..big history and big money behind them …..so I don’t understand how this was an upset …..Leinster is a big club in Ireland and bulls are a big club in the southern hemisphere …..

Sexton! Not just in the game, but during the week, driving standards. Leinster should try to rope him into some sort of consulting role. That and altitude in an incredibly physical game, given that very few of the Leinster team have ever played at Loftus before, one must wonder if Leo Cullen is not killing the players with kindeness with all the rest they get.

I remember the bulls being a team that was pummeled by everyone in early 2000's in Super Rugby. They were even the first team to go 0-13 for a year (2003 I think). Then Ludeke came in and everything changed. Between 2007 and 2010 they were almost unstoppable, winning 3 out of those 4 years.

Leinster are the blue eye boys of Irish Rugby. Resourced to the max, making up the vast majority of the Ireland match day 23, and yet, over the past several years they have been an absolute failure. In both European and domestic rugby. This Leinster bias from IRFU will be the ultimate undoing of our national side.

Some more perspective, Bulls without Marcel Coetzee , Arendse ,Moodie, Gans . And the Scottish Referee did the Bulls absolutely no favour. He was atrocious, and favoured Leinster for 80 minutes.

Stop underestimating South Africa and their clubs, this arrogance has to stop. They are one of the best rugby Nations in the world. Never think they are average. Always expect that they can beat you! Show respect be humble, that is a big change that Irish rugby needs.

The Blue Bulls have a rich history as one of the best club teams in the world. I find it puzzling when everyone forgets history. Plus you have Jake. World class. Both teams are world class. The better team won on the day.

Imgaine having the ref on your side and still losing

I'm a Leinster fan but I am really angry about how the team was managed this year. Since the South African teams joined the league you need to make sure you secure a home semi final to stand a decent chance of winning the thing. Leinster prioritized the Champions Cup far too much at the expense of the league Toulouse and La Rochelle do not sacrifice matches in the top 14 so they can win the European Cup. They prioritise the league first and then go for the European competition if they can. They build form and confidence in the league and that momentum can carry them further in the European competition too. Considering all the changes Leinster have gone through this year with Sexton and Lancaster finishing and new coaches starting late Cullen should just have targeted the one competition. You have to be able to do the single before you can even think about doing the double.

A well deserved win by the Bulls, but what need to be said is the Defensive - reactive coaching by Nienaber is destroying the proactive attacking flair which is Leinsters DNA

Jamie "down to 13 men" Heaslip is such a great pundit 🤣

Pundits are mostly accurate. I thibk the bigger upset was obviously the semi at home with Sexton playing. But thats just me. Leinster just looked like they didn't care? Like theres no will to win? Its like the leadership is lacking and maybe even the coaching.

After three years with SA teams in the URC why is this the first time playing the URC in SA for so many Leinster players? Whats the point to have SA teams in URC if they won't let them experience playing in SA?

I hope this a sign of things to come. Like the time when the bulls dominated super rugby. That will be awesome!

To be fair to Leinster, and to try and claw back a bit of the underdog status for the Boks, Leinster under Cullen aren't the same beast as 'Leinster' under Farrell. You can see the same with the Sharks. So many Boks in that Sharks team, but look at their URC performances under plumtree vs under Rassie. I don't think Rassie and co will let themselves get overconfident for the Irish tour. Our media and fans should do the same.

What the pundits maybe don't know, is that Loftus isn't a rugby field; it is a fortress.

It must be rough being an Irish rugby fan, knowing your teams have everything it takes to be champions but constantly having to cope with just not getting across the line.

Why is this an upset? That's what gets these South African teams up. Leinster lost to the Bulls 2 years ago at home, that was an upset maybe but even then, I believed this Leinster team can be put to the sword as long as you stay close to them. Obviously easier said than done but these Bulls players are hella talented. Well done Bulls. A final at FNB Stadium would've been crazy

I'm just here waiting for Rassie to release a new video! Wow that ref was clueless. Really spoilt a good game.

Leinster an amazing team. But having an amazing team doesn't automatically mean a win. Leinster will learn from these 3 seasons and be back stronger. Can see the URC dominating Champions Cup soon. We're all learning playing against each other. Bulls fan 🤘🤘

Next time you come to loftus you will know

Leinster lost this game weeks ago when they sent a second string team to play in South Africa and lost both matches and dropped in the league and home advantage in the semi final.

As a neutral it feels like Leinster don’t experience enough adversity during the regular part of the season which means they come unstuck at the business end. All the 45-0 wins are not doing them any favours…

I am South African but I am a Lion. Let me tell you, if you play a knock out game at Loftus the Bulls are always favourites. If you don't know that from the outset you need to rethink if you know rugby at all. Even when New Zealand put 50 on the Boks the Crusaders were still struggling to win at Loftus. Don't ever make that mistake again.

Stadium DJ doing Leinster dirty with Zombie playing there. lol

Exciting weekend ahead with Boks v Wales and Bulls v Scotland 😅

Now that the tide(Sexton) is out, we can see Leinster has been skinny dipping. Ross Byrne isn't a Sexton. They didn't play knockout rugby when they needed to, which seems to be a recurring theme with Ireland. Sorry Leinster.

😂😂what a great watch. Humbled

Don’t come to our patch and call us the underdogs! Bulls at Loftus are just another proposition, even if the ref tried his best to give Leinster the win!

😂just blame the loss on the saffa 😂easy excuse😂and here i thought the saffa was the defence guy😂.isnt goodman the attack 🤔 guy

Bulls have been a top team for decades dude.

Lienster supporters can show the French how to lose like men

Sure this show is for the irish ppl and fans of irish rugby but just a small side note.. Bulls will never be the underdogs at loftus nor will the boks be when you're coming to get whipped all Irish rugby related talk their teams up so much but the thing is you will never be what you talk yourselfs up to be ireland beat the boks in last 4 sure in that time we added 2 world cups.. Your win rate in south africa is 13%??settle down you're not close to being on all blacks or boks level won't ever be either

The Ireland and Leinster bra - loads of support, no cups.

Op Loftes sal julle opgan.....i word

Total nonsense from these 4. They falsely believe that Leinster are better than other sides but just couldn't get over the line. In reality, Leinsters conveyor belt of talent is a total myth. When they sent their 2nd string 23 to SA they were smashed. They were nowhere near the required level. Compare that to sides like Toulouse who can field their 2nd string side and still compete with the top sides. Leinsters backline is average as a collective and aside from JGP, they have no x factor players who can create something out of nothing. Leinsters pack were outmuscled again yesterday. Smashed at scrumtime and not enough physicality and creativity to penetrate the Bulls defence. The Irish 'system' of multiple phase play while making little ground is no longer working. Sides have figured out how to counteract this game plan by being resilient and patient in defence. Leinster and Ireland dont have a plan B when plan A isn't working. The more phases you go through the higher the probability of an unforced error or turnover. How many Irish players would make the combined Ireland/SA first 15? I'd argue, maybe 2, JGP and Aki. Two kiwis. I wouldn't choose one Irish born player over a South African. Leinster and Ireland just aren't as good as they're made out to be, despite what the pundits would have you believe.

Agree with Donnachadh o tanallaghan for once

Leinster lost this tournament on their initial visit to SA (Lions and Stormers). A) Dreadful team selection, and B), dreadful performance by the team that were selected. From there it was an uphill battle that shouldn't have happened. Leo is sleepwalking into the same mistake year on year. Jesus, pick your best side and get them battle hardened. How many years to you run with the same failed plan before you realise it's just a shit plan.

Who's the mutton dressed up as lamb ??

Being too critical and are not giving the bulls their flowers. Bulls pitched up and beat leinster. Simple truth. Youre due for a history lesson on Loftus. That place is a fortress.

You know, as a Saffer I would willingly trade our pundits and fans for the Irish pundits and their fans. The objectivity and insight of the Irish seems to stand alone in the Rugby world.

General Goosen 👍👍👍

Best rugby club in the world my ass. 😂😂😂. Its simple, the best teams in any sport win semis and finals. Leinster just don't do that really. Loftus is a tough place to go play rugby and it was only half full.

An upset? 🤣🤣🤣.You clearly have no clue that the Bulls were the most successful franchise in super rugby!

Im a big Stormers fan, but this Bulls team is something else, Johan Goosen was fantastic, Hanekom, holy shit.... Nothing but respect for this team, bulss fans are still dumbasses though lol

When last did any of those top irish players travel to South Africa? Have they ever? Loftus vs a fired up bulls side is no joke. Never has been. Most incredible part for me was the sustained violence on defence by the bulls. Leinster didn't expect it.

Bulls fans have let them down

Bulls out dominated Irish forward pack